CATCHING UP WITH NIKKI KAAPKE

Fans of The Bachelor know Nikki Kaapke as the former pageant girl who appeared on Jason’s season as The Bachelor. Nikki also schemed and strategized her way through the inaugural season of The Bachelor Pad. The Chicago native is friends with just about everyone who’s appeared on The Bachelor over the past few years, so she’s uniquely qualified to provide some insight into the current season, as Brad Womack takes a second stab at love.

“Having been in the same position as this seasons’ women, I know what its like to be in their shoes,” says Nikki. After watching the first few episodes, Nikki was struck by some of the more bizarre antics of Madison, the vampiress who wound up leaving the show in tears. Nikki has seen more than a few girls sabotage themselves by putting on a false front, rather then putting themselves on the line for love. And Madison is a prime example.

“Regardless of one’s intentions for going on the show, I think everyone should be themselves and I think that Madison was not,” she says. “It was obvious from day one that she was putting on an act and trying to get attention, but the wrong kind,” she said. Nikki feels for Madison, who finally let her guard down right before she left: “Brad had potential interest in her but she had a strange vibe and put her guard up.”

Nikki has a few choice words for Michelle Money, the Bachelorette from Utah whose aggressiveness – and disdain for her fellow Bachelorettes – has turned her into this season’s biggest villainess: “As for Michelle, I’m sorry, whether you are in this to find love or promote your career, you don’t deliberately portray yourself as a negative, possessive, clingy person.” Nikki thinks Michelle’s demeanor is “a bit too ‘Fatal Attraction’ for my liking.”

Nikki has a few favorites thus far. “Jackie, Chantal O and Emily,” she says. “I would love for him to bring one of them back for a home town date and possibly be a part of the family.” Brad likes the way he pulled Jackie in for a kiss on their ‘Pretty Woman” date (“she is such a sweetheart”), and “I adore Emily – who doesn’t?”

Nikki has kept herself extremely busy since her stint on the Bachelor Pad last summer. She’s started her own company called The Dekadent Diva, a cooking company that emerged from a blog Nikki started last year. The blog snowballed into a website in which Nikki shared recipes, and things really took off from there. “Eventually word of mouth spread and I was offered to publish a cookbook,” she says. “Once I discovered that I really had something there, I created the Dekadent Diva, where I provide custom menus for dinner parties, and designer cupcakes for parties.”

Nikki still has time to catch up with all of her old friends from her Bachelor days. “I’ve been a part of weddings, baby showers, family holidays and reunions,” she says. “I’m very close with Jess and Ann Csinscak (Ed: Nikki was a bridesmaid at the Csincsak’s wedding) , Jillian Harris, Melissa Rycroft and Wes Hayden,” to name just a few. “There are a lot of really wonderful people that have been a part of the Bachelor series and I’m honored to be a part of that family.”

As for Nikki’s own romantic prospects, she’s keeping her eyes open and enjoying all of the amazing things in her life that have occurred as a result of her tenure on The Bachelor. “I’m still looking for that special guy, but until then I’m enjoying life, travelling, visiting Bachelor friends and running with the success that the Dekadent Diva is attaining.”